Time To Be There
by crysanialyndhurst
Summary: After David Rossi, finally the BAU team sees the human side of Erin Strauss as well. Never have they thought that instead of the Section Chief keeping their backs, they'll have to do the same for her. How will they manage? Will she let them help?- Set during SE 08, but slightly AU, not heading to the events of the season finale.
1. Hostile Territory

**Hi Everyone! **

**This is my first story. First Criminal Minds, first fanfic, well basically first story outside the drawer. But please don't be gentle, I would love to see what you think about it! **

**I'm sorry for any grammatic mistakes or words misspelled, or stuff that sounds awkward. English is slightly my second language, don't use it that much. **

**Oh yeah, I don't own Criminal Minds, if I did Straussi would definitely get more than 'oh btw she used to bring work home'...**

**Have fun!**

_**C.L.**_

* * *

'She already left, citing a headache. I'm not sure what she'd want me to do with that,' Stacey took the manila files from Garcia.

'She told us that it was important,' chirped Penelope getting a little annoyed over Strauss' assistant. The Chief wanted all of the reports on her desk by the evening. She probably wanted to evaluate the damage the mess ups caused in their latest case in Madison, WI before she went to talk to the director about the BAU. And Garcia wanted to head home as well. After almost two days of her eyes glued to the screens in her little office, she genuinely was exhausted.

Everybody left already, of course with the exception of Hotch, and Garcia hoped she could still catch up to the others to grab a beer before she gets home.

At the hopeless look on the young assistant's face however, Garcia decided she's going to help herself.

'You know, I think I'm just gonna drop this off at her house, I'm headed that way anyway…' she said and spun around her heels. Maybe knocking on Strauss' door was the last thing she was going to do in her life, but she couldn't bring herself to spend another minute in the bullpen. On her way to the garage she called Morgan to tell him she was tired and not going to make it to the bar the others were celebrating at, then she left for the Section Chief's house.

She tried to call Strauss' phone as she reached her street but she didn't answer. The car was in the driveway, the lights were on, so she was home, maybe she didn't want to talk to Garcia. Penelope suddenly doubted her decision to come over to the Section Chief's house was a good idea at all. If the reports were indeed so important, then Strauss would have never left without them, would she? Whatever. She came to her house, she might as well hand the file over.

So Garcia knocked on the door. The lights were clearly on inside, but she heard no answer and saw no movement in reaction to her knocking. _That's odd._

She rang the bell. No reaction either. Strauss must be pretty knocked out, or deaf. Penelope tried to look inside through the windows of the living room, meanwhile calling the Chief once more. The cell phone was on the table in the middle of the living room and Garcia could hear the ringtone, even on the other side of the door. And then she sensed some movement.

Someone ran through the grass in the front yard, and got into a black SUV parking on the opposite side of the road. Garcia's blood run cold as she stood rooted to the doorway. That didn't look like something ordinary. What if Erin Strauss was in trouble?

She immediately dialed Derek's number.

'What's up baby girl? Changed your pretty mind?' he answered jokingly. She heard the music and laughs in the background. He was still in the bar, out unwinding after the closure of their latest twisted case.

'Derek, I'm at Strauss' house. She doesn't answer and there was a man and I think something happened to her…' she jabbered quickly. She hated to rain on their parade, but she couldn't call anyone else. Who else could have she called? Kevin?

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Garcia. What are you doing at her house?' Morgan's tone instantly changed when he realized she was not joking this time and the sounds in the background were getting muffled and distant. He was probably leaving the place.

'I was dropping off some papers. And she didn't answer her phone. It's on the table in the living room loudly ringing, the lights are on inside and she didn't open the door.'

'Maybe she doesn't want to see you, have you thou…'

'No Derek, I can feel it, there's something off here. I saw a man rushing through the lawn in front of the house.'

'Okay, Garcia, don't move. I'm on my way. Don't do anything until I get there.' He commanded her, figuring it was for the best if he drove there and checked up on the Strauss house before Garcia freaked out completely over nothing.

'I can't do that. What if she's hurt?! I have to go inside, Derek.' she cut back, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She was suddenly not afraid anymore, she needed to help. She could feel something was wrong. She was not a profiler but she knew Erin Strauss enough to know that she had a good sense of responsibility, meaning if someone from her workplace tried to contact her, she'd answer.

'No, no. Don't go inside alone, Garcia. We won't get anything out of possibly putting you into harms way as well.' he said and Penelope could hear the starting of the engine of his car as he stepped on the gas.

'What if she needs help? I'm going inside, Derek,' declared Garcia.

'Wait. Don't hang up. Do you have a gun?'

'I do. And heaven knows I'll use it if there's something going on in there. I'll go inside now.' she said and hung up her voice full of determination.

Morgan shook his head in disbelief and dialed Hotch's number, asking for the directions of Strauss' house. After giving Derek the details, sensing something was off, otherwise why on earth would Derek Morgan ask for Strauss' address, he asked him what was going on, fearing some serial killer launched itself after the Section Chief to get back at the team. He couldn't have been more accurate.

'Garcia is at her house and Strauss is not answering. She saw a man leaving the house through the front yard. Garcia was worried so she called me, I told her not to, but she decided she's going inside to check upon Strauss.' he detailed the situation to the Unit Chief.

'Where's Rossi?' asked Hotch with a genuine worry in his voice, which quite startled Morgan. Aaron knew if something was up with Strauss, then David certainly needed to be told about it. He needed to know. Thinking about something happening to Erin made his heart sink. No matter how awful it sounded, but not really for her, but because of what would it do to David. Although, through Rossi's short stories about their times together Hotch got to see the Section Chief's more human side as well.

'He was with us, at the bar. Why?'

'Did you tell him you were going to Strauss' house?'

'No. Why should I have done that? What's going on Hotch? Hotch?' yelled Morgan pushing the gas treadle further into the ground, but he didn't get any answer, Hotch already hung up on him. _What the hell was going on? Everybody went crazy?_- he mused to himself as he tried to reach Garcia his adrenaline flying to the stars. What even happened to the quiet night out with friends?

After Garcia hung up on Derek, she reached for her gun, a gift from Rossi after she was shot front of her house and tried the front door. It was locked. She knew she couldn't kick it open, so instead she went to look for the back door. It should be open; someone just left the house. He must have exited through the back door. What if that man truly hurt Erin Strauss? She couldn't even describe him. _A man dressed in black._ Wait. How could she be so sure it was a man? Pathetic, Garcia. She was worth nothing without her technology.

She reached the back door which was indeed left ajar. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her hands as she was holding the gun up to her eyelevel, _Please help me, God!_

Pointing her gun at whatever enemy should he come, she entered the kitchen slowly, making as little noise as she could. The kitchen seemed in order. No broken kitchenware, no spilled drinks.

_What if she was intruding the Section Chief's house without any reason?_

'Chief Strauss?' she called out with trembling voice, though she didn't really expect an answer from her. 'I'm Penelope Garcia from the BAU. Hello?' she asked advancing into the house step by step. That's when she saw a figure lying on the floor. Her heart skipped a beat. Damn, she was right. She looked around quickly, before kneeling down next to the woman.

It wasn't Erin Strauss, but a younger version of her, probably a daughter. Same blonde hair, though a lot longer, same aristocratic features, without the wrinkles of wisdom around her eyes, same light skin. And a huge bruise above her right eyebrow, blood slipping out, staining her facial features. She was steadily breathing, and had a pulse, though knocked unconscious. The buttons from her blouse ripped off, cuts on her chest and clear handprints on her neck were visible. Garcia wanted to hug her more than anything, trying to bring her around, but she knew the Chief should be there somewhere as well. The man left alone. He left her behind as well. The only question was, in what state? The analyst shrugged a little as images of the team's crime scenes flooded her mind. She so didn't want to find a scene like that…

She checked again for the pulse of the young blonde and stood up looking for Strauss. The living room was empty, the cell still lying on the table, though she sensed the peculiar smell of blood in the air further twisting her stomach into a knot. _This is not good._

Her phone rang, Morgan was calling.

'Derek call an ambulance, there's a young woman here, unconscious, beaten up pretty bad, probably Strauss' daughter.'

'What's up with Strauss?' asked Morgan closing his eyes for a second. Somehow he wished he could just turn his car in the other direction and run away from the responsibility. Strauss was a high profile FBI agent. She had way too many enemies. Not to mention the weirdos her team unleashed during the years. He knew that the scene Penelope was about to walk into would in no way be a pleasant one. Either horror script one, or they can spend nerve wrecking days trying to find their boss in one piece, preferably still alive.

'I don't know, I'm still looking for her…' she said wandering further into the Section Chief's home looking around for traces of her. 'Oh my god! Derek, oh my god!' she whispered in a terrified voice, making his blood chill.

'What is it Garcia? Talk to me! What do you see?' he yelled, unable to control himself anymore.

'It's her, Derek. There's blood, lots of blood everywhere.' she mumbled as she rushed towards the woman slumped to the ground at the base of the stairs. The trail of blood on the wall told her that Erin Strauss was knocked to the wall there, though she was probably injured before that as well. Was she fighting back?

'Is she still alive?' he asked when she didn't say anything further. He heard her breathing escalate over the stress of the situation.

'I don't know Derek, there's a lot of blood coming from somewhere.' she said looking at the dark crimson liquid on the floor. 'Oh my god. Derek!' Garcia was obviously in shock. Despite the fact that she, or anyone from the team, as a matter of fact, didn't like Strauss, seeing her all battered took a toll on her.

'Stay with her, Garcia. I'll be there in a few minutes.' he said wondering what had transpired in their Section Chief's house. He dialed Rossi's number already afraid of the Italian man's reaction. Why did Hotch tell him to contact especially Rossi? He and Strauss hated each other, didn't they? Wait. _They had something going on and he hadn't noticed?_

'We're on our way Morgan. Hotch called. What on earth happened?' he asked without hesitation, startling Morgan with the lack of the slightest traces of fear in his voice. _Maybe there was nothing going on._

'I'm not sure, Rossi… Something happened to Strauss, Garcia said there's a lot of blood, she was kinda in shock'

'Lot of blood? Is she still alive? What's going on? Answer me dammit!' Rossi's voice turned frantic in a second as the other agent detailed what Penelope told him.

'I don't know anything further, but I'm in her driveway. I'll check on her.'

'Please take care of her!'

_What the hell was going on? Rossi and Strauss? For real?_- wondered Morgan but he only said: 'I will.'


	2. Coming Home

**Hi there! **

**I thank you so much for the reviews, the favs and the follows! **

**I really thought this little thing would go down in history unnoticed, so I'm really grateful to all of you! :)**

**So after seeing what happened here, I felt an urge to be nice, so being inspired by all the kindness, I finished the second chapter and updated the story! **

**Oh yeah. I did not come up with the Strauss girl's name. She was called Anna in one of the fics here I read and I liked it so much. I thought that was a name Erin Strauss would have given her daughter. So I used it. I'll have to look up the title though.**

**And I don't own a thing, just my twisted fantasies about the poor characters of this magnificent show.**

**Enjoy your read, and please let me know what do you think!**

**C.L.**

* * *

**2**

They were all finally laughing and having fun. Something they hadn't done in a couple of weeks. The cases to solve just kept coming in and they were flying from one distant point of the country to the other. After this case, they decided to drink to the upcoming weekend the team was going to spend with their families.

_Family. _The meaning of that word certainly changed a lot lately to David Rossi. Instead of going home to his Mudgie, he actually was going home to his beloved lady. Although his relationship, if that was it, had started out quite twisted with Erin, but they managed to survive and her kids joining them for dinners became a usual thing as well. And he loved it. He loved Erin, as he was finally able to admit it, and he loved spending time with her children too. Even if he was not yet a full member of the family, they gave an impression of what it would be like to have a real family of his own.

Suddenly, he wanted to leave his fellow profilers and just go back to Erin. The way he wanted to get on the first plane, or train or bus in Madison to take him back to D.C. so many times when he missed just being around Erin Strauss. The quick minutes they exchanged after he dropped her off at her house suddenly felt too little. However, Rossi calmed himself a bit, if JJ could still be there, celebrating with them, away from her still too young son, then he could definitely stay a little longer.

_That is if Hotch was not calling about another case.- _he mused to himself as he fished the buzzing phone from his pocket. Damn right the man was calling, and Rossi doubted it was for the directions of the bar to join them.

'Hotch! You called away Morgan and now you want me as well. What the hell is going on?!' he barked into the phone half jokingly as he tried to find a quieter place to talk.

'That was Garcia. Dave, look. There might be something going on with Strauss,' he said, though the words could hardly get around the lump in his throat. Although, he still didn't know whether there was something really off, or just a series of coincidents, but he felt he should tell about it to Dave. The didn't make it easier to do, though.

'What are you talking about?' asked Rossi subconsciously, his heart suddenly beating faster. His nerves were still not back to normal after their latest investigation lasting for four days with very little sleep.

'When did you last talk to her?' he heard Hotch from the other end of the line, but his brain barely registered what he was asking. Images of every case he had ever worked on started flooding his brain. But the victims were all one particular blonde woman.

'I don't know, before getting here… Why? What's going on?' Rossi chocked out the words as he eyed suspiciously the other two agents now standing in front of him with pure confusion in their eyes. They didn't seem to know anything. _What the hell._

'Garcia couldn't reach Strauss, she's at her house and saw a man running from the house in black. Morgan's on his way. Maybe you should check on her as well. I'm on my way too.' announced Hotch and without a second thought David cut through the dancing and laughing people, surprised to find JJ and Reid by his side.

'We're coming with you,' declared JJ and climbed into the backseat, while Spencer occupied the front without saying a single word. Although Rossi wished they were rioted completely in vain, the odd little feeling nagging at his stomach ever since Morgan disappeared from the bar, was telling him other and he suddenly wished he wouldn't have let himself be talked into this little celebration by Erin.

The front door was closed. Garcia said she was inside, how did she get in then? _Whatever-_ Morgan thought to himself and kicked the door open. 'What the hell!' he murmured raising his gun, advancing into the house. 'Garcia!' he shouted, when after a few steps he still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

'In here!' he heard the muffled voice filled with tears coming from his left. He rushed in the direction the sound came from. And there was Penelope Garcia, her hands covered in blood, bent over the body of their Section Chief. The scene was breathtaking in the worst possible sense. The woman feared throughout the bureau was lying unconscious on the floor. Unconscious? Rather dying. _What on earth have happened here?_

'I'm here Baby Girl, scoot over.' He kneeled next to Garcia to take a look at Erin Strauss trying to feign some calmness. 'It's okay,' he said briefly embracing her shoulders and then turning to the Section Chief.

'Chief Strauss,' he lifted her head slightly to hear her breathing. At the movement blood bubbled out from her mouth and he could hear that she was barely taking in breaths. 'Damn.' Now Derek Morgan was equally concerned for the hated Section Chief.

He didn't even notice her ruined clothing before. His attention was captured by the stab on her lower abdomen as Garcia tried to stop the bleeding with holding her scarf firmly there. But Strauss' blouse was torn, the cuts on her chest, and oh dear, her skirt was ripped too. He feared the worst. He pulled the skirt a little higher and observed the obvious marks.

'No!' he heard Penelope shriek beside him as she noticed the other source of the blood pooling on the ground.

'Damn,' cursed Morgan again, readjusting her clothes, unable to look at the bruises any further. 'Where's that fucking ambulance?' he groaned in disgust, feeling for Strauss' pulse one more time. 'Baby Girl, stay with her, I'll go check up on her daughter.' he said leaving to find the other woman Penelope mentioned in the house. He could only hope the young girl managed without the horror her mother had to go through. Morgan flinched at the thought of what pain the Section Chief had to endure. He didn't even care that he actually didn't like her. No woman should be sexually assaulted. _Never._ And at that moment he swore to himself that he would find that asshole that did this to the Strausses and kill him with his own hands.

* * *

'Morgan!' Rossi came storming inside the house, with Hotchner, Reid, and JJ following shortly after him. 'Where is Erin?!' he shouted at the younger agent desperately grabbing his arm.

'She's with Garcia, at the stairs, I'm checking on the girl,' he said nodding towards the kitchen where Penelope told him the young woman was left. At the mention of the girl Rossi's face fell and he moved to follow Morgan immediately.

'Oh God, Anna was home tonight as well…' he breathed in complete disbelief. Hotchner caught David's arm and stopped him.

'Go to Erin, David. I'll stay with Anna.' he said looking deep into his eyes, knowing that Rossi wanted to go to Erin more than he wanted to do anything, but he needed to check her daughter first. He knew Erin would want him to do that, like all mothers would. Aaron saw Morgan slightly shaking his head- _It's not a good idea, Hotch_.

But before he could say anything Rossi whirled past them, like someone running for dear life. He was running for _his life_. To the woman who meant the life to him. After finally admitting their love to each other they can not end like that. His heart was throbbing in his throat, especially after he noticed Morgan's hesitation to let him go to his Erin. _She couldn't be dead._

'Hotch, she is subdued pretty badly.' Morgan said quietly, holding onto his boss' arm after Rossi left. 'You should go with him,'

'How bad?' asked Hotchner fearing the answer.

'Several cuts, bruises… And I think she was raped,' whispered Morgan. Hotchner closed his eyes trying to steady his breath. 'She was heavily bleeding…'

'Where's the ambulance? Did you tell them it's an FBI agent?' Hotch asked impatiently, avoiding his chain of thoughts on the Section Chief and the severity of her injuries. He left to find Rossi and Garcia.

The scene he found in front of him broke his heart and filled his brain with overwhelming anger.

The pictures on the wall were all broken and stained with blood; _Strauss clearly put on a hell of a fight._ He didn't expect any other, but when his eyes traveled to the ground, he felt nauseous, the bile rising in his throat.

Penelope Garcia sobbing next to the bruised body of their Section Chief, and David Rossi, the legendary kickass FBI agent, with decades of seeing chopped up, burned, brutally mutilated victims, was speechlessly hovering over the unconscious Erin Strauss lying in a pool of blood, in a sheer attempt to understand what happened to the woman he loved.

'Oh my God,' he sighed barely audibly, wiping the blood from her mouth away. He couldn't decide where to hold her. Which touch would do her more harm than good? It killed him to see his strong lady battered like this. He should have stayed with her after they got back from their latest case. Then none of this would have happened.

'He touched her, didn't he?' he asked, his on point question causing Garcia to sob even harder. He didn't even wait for Aaron's answer; he gently pulled her to his lap, cradling her unconscious body.

'David,' spoke Hotch blinking back the tears that gathered in his eyes watching his friend assessing the damage on his beloved woman. He had no idea what to say. _What could he say? Nothing would make him feel better._ 'We need to get her to a hospital, the ambulance will be here in seconds.' he finally said, putting a hand on Dave's shoulder.

But he was preoccupied, along with a gasping Penelope, with the woman in his arms as she started coughing up more blood. It seemed like she was regaining consciousness at last. He carefully held her away from himself to observe what's happening with her. Erin's bloodshot eyes were filtering open and she stared into his face, fear radiating from her own features.

'David…?' she asked in a dying voice, raising her hand to grasp the collar of his jacket.

'Yes, bella, it's me. You're safe now.' he said with a huge relief in his voice. Hotch couldn't help the small smile dancing in the corner of his mouth, though he knew she had a long road to come.

'I can't breathe…' she whispered as David pulled her closer to him again.

'Shh, don't speak. The ambulance will be here shortly, just don't speak…' he stroke her stained blonde curls back behind her ears, reaching another cut under her ear as well. He tried real hard to hide his broken heart from her. He thought she wasn't completely aware of her own injuries, but her tightly shut eyes, the frown on her forehead and the tears escaping on her cheeks told him otherways. He could hardly hold back his own tears. _She already been through so much, why did this have to happen to her?_

Erin's eyes flew open and she started struggling in his lap. 'David, Anna! Where is sh…' she jabbered barely above a whisper as substantial pain reflected in her eyes, her usual light blue orbs turning into deeper blue than the ocean and an angry flush creeping on to her pale cheeks. _She remembered_. And she also remembered that her youngest daughter was home with her when someone attacked them.

'She's okay, Morgan's with her. Penelope interrupted the asshole…' Rossi answered obvious to him what she was asking about, and he could see the relief in her eyes at his answer.

'Garcia?' she asked her eyes slightly widening in surprise, and Penelope crawled over to them on the floor. 'Yes, Ma'am.' She smiled at her boss tears freely falling from her eyes and taking a hold of her arm gently.

'Finally,' barked Hotch at the entering paramedics and he quickly showed them the way where Erin Strauss was, and waved the other team to the kitchen to help Anna.


End file.
